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S. LIP SIUS. RAISED PRINTING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 25, 1915.

Patented Aug. 15, 1916.

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S. LIPSIUS.

RAISED PRINTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-25, I9I5.

Patented Aug. 15, 1916.

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RAISED-PRINTING: APPARATUS.

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Application filed September 25, 1915. Serial No. 52,582.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL Lirsms, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at New York city, New York, have invented a new and useful Raised-Printing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention has reference to that branch of the printing art lmown as ralsed printing, wherein an effect similar to embossing is produced by the amalgamation of a fusible powder with the freshly printed surface. I

The general objects of the invention are to provide simplified and improved means for effecting the amalgamation of the fusible powder with the printed surface.

According to my invention the amalgamation is effected in an oven through whlch the printed and powdered sheets are carried by a conveyer, and a special feature of this oven is that a uniform treatment of the sheets is obtained without scorching or under-heating the sheets by the interposition of a body of heat retaining material between the sheet conveyer and the source from which it receives its heat. For the heat retaining body I preferably employ a sandlike material supported by a pan directly beneath the sheet conveyer, and between said conveyer and the heater.

A gradually increasing and then decreasing heating effect is obtained by sloping the oven up from both ends toward the center and by causing the conveyer to travel first upwardly toward the center and then downward to the far end of the oven, and to make this heating efiect more uniform and regular, the heat retaining body beneath the conveyer is inclined upwardly and then downwardly in substantial conformity with the travel of the conveyer. Preferably, also the heater, which may conveniently be in. the

form of a gas burner, and which is located beneath the heat retaining body, is inclined upwardly and then downwardly in substantial conformity to the outline of the heat retaining body. The sand pan is, in a preferred embodiment of my invention, of special construe tion embodying'a strip ofsheet metal made with upturned edges and transversely extending reinforcing ribs.

Another feature of my invention is the provision of a device for cooling and thoroughly drying the treated sheets before allowing said sheets to come into Eontact with each other.- This cooling device, as I have termed it, consists in the present disclosure of a conveyer located beneath the 'oven, and having its receiving end arranged to receive the heated sheet from the discharge end of the heating conveyer.

Other features and details of structure will appear as the specification proceeds.

In the drawings accompanying this specification I have illustrated my invention as embodied in a practical and commercial 'form','but it will be understood that changes and modifications may be made without de parting from the true spirit and'the scope of the invention. fi

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of apparatus embodyingthe invention, the entrance end of the oven being broken away and shown in section. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, with parts broken away. Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of the apparatus taken substantially on the plane of the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is another crosssectional view taken substantiallyon the plane of the line H of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of the apparatus. Fig. 6 is a more or less diagrammatic view illustrating the preferred manner of making up the walls which form the sand pan and the bottom to the oven.

ent disclosure, the oven is of substantially triangular formation, and consists of a botadheres to the inked portions and which will fuse into the ink under the action of heat, and the freshly inked sheets with the fusible powder adhering to the printed portions.

thereof are then subjected to a heat within the oven which will fuse the powder and bring about an amalgamation thereof with the printing ink. To bring about a gradual fusion of the powder with the ink without injuring the sheets by scorching orover- In the embodiment illustrated in the presheating them to such an extent as to take away their flexibility or strength, the sheets are heated gradually and it is preferable also to decrease the applied heat gradually. After this heat treatment the sheets arev preferably cooled to dry and set the amalgamated powder and ink.

The gradual. heating of the sheets is accomplished in the present form of the invention, by reason of the triangular construction of the oven, and by the employment of a conveyer which extends on an incline up to the highest portion of the oven, and so, carries the sheet gradually up into the zone of greatest heat.- This conveyer is designated 15 and is-shown in the form of an endless belt supported at the ends on rollers 16 and 17, and at the center by a roller- 18, this center roller being supported well up in the apex of the oven, so as to cause the conveyer to traverse first an upward incline, and then a downward incline. The lower run of the conveyer may be supported on suitable idlers 19. This conveyer is of special construction, it being made of relatively closely woven wire mesh work, which permits free access of the heat to the sheet on the conveyer, and

, at the same time prevents the sheet slipping through the interstices in the conveyer, and which if not so provided against would be likely to occur on account of the inclination of the conveyer. Heat may be supplied from any suitable source and the same is provided in the present disclosure by a gas burner 20 located in the oven beneath the conveyer and supplied with fuel through a suitably regulated supply pipe 21. A special feature of this burner or heater, is that it is inclined in substantial conformity to the path of movement of the conveyer, so as to apply the heat more uniformly to said conveyer.

A relatively quick fusion of the powder is obtained and without the danger of scorching or injuring the sheets by interposing a heat retaining medium or body between the heater and the conveyer.- 1 This medium is provided in'the present instance by a body of sand 25 supported in a pan 26, and a special feature of this pan is that it, like the burner, substantiallyv follows the inclination of the conveyer. In the preferred construction this sand pan is supported between the side Walls of the oven, but a space 27 is left between the side walls and the edges of the pan to allow circulation of the heated air from the heater around the edges of the pan and into,contact with the sheets on the conveyer. This sand pan is of novel construction, it being for one thing provided with transversely extending ribs 28 dividing it into a series of sand trays. This construction prevents the shifting of the sand which would otherwise occur due to the inclination of the pan. Preferably the sand pan is made of sheet metal and the separating ribs or ridges are provided by striking up the metal sand pan. In this view, the blank strip 30- of sheet metal is first formed with oppo sitely disposed notches 31 in the edges thereof, then the metal. between opposite notches is bent up on the lines 28 to form the upstanding ribs 28, and finally the edge portions 32 of the strip between adjacent ribs are turned up to form retaining walls 33 at the edges of the pan. The ribs are of less width than the notches, as indicated by the dotted lines 28', leaving portions 34: at each side of the top of the rib, which constitute when the ribs are bent up into shape, the sides of the ribs. When the edge portions 32 are bent up into place, their end faces 35 engage the side walls 34 of the rib as indicated, thereby forming shallow trays between the ribs. vides a very rigid and comparatively inexpensive form of pan for containing the sand. I prefer toutilize this form of construction also for the bottom of the oven and have, therefore, illustrated the bottom wall as be ing constructed in the manner just described the oven together is by means of the through bolts indicated at 39, which pass through the side walls and serve to clamp the bottom wall and the sand pan between said sides.

A sight opening 40 may be provided in the top, preferably at the highest point therein, and another sight opening may be provided in the side wall, as indicated at 41, these two openings being normally closed by the transparent closures 42- and 43 so that the heating effect may be observed without interrupting the operation of the apparatus.

In using the apparatus thus far described, the sheets, after being printed and powdered with the fusible powder, are placed upon the heating conveyer at the right hand end of the oven in Fig. 1, and are carried by said conveyer into the oven and upward the top of the oven. From this zone of This construction progreatest heat the sheets are carried downward and out at the left hand end of the oven. During this passage, the powder is gradually fused and becomes amalgamated .with the printing ink and except for the fact that the amalgam may be somewhat soft when the sheets are discharged from the oven, they are complete and ready for use.

To harden the amalgam and render the treated Sheets ready for use at once, I have provided a cooling device in the form of a conveyer 45 traveling beneath the oven and having its receiving end located beneath the discharge end of the heating conveyer so as to receive the heated sheets therefrom. This cooling conveyer is shown as an endless belt supported on rollers 46 and 47 and an inclined guide or chute 48 is shown'provided for directing the sheets from the heating conveyer down on to the cooling conveyer, a box 49 at the receiving end of the cool ing conveyer serving further to guide the sheets. The supporting surface of the coolmg conveyer is disposed beneath and separated from the-oven by an air space, so that the sheets will not be materially affected by the heat ofthe oven. In the passage of the sheets upon the cooling conveyer, the amalgam cools and hardens, and at the end of their travel on this conveyer, the sheets may be discharged into any convenient form of receptacle or receiver 50.

The conveyors may be driven by any suitable gearing, and the same consists in the present instance of a drive shaft 52 provided with a pulley 53 belted to an electric motor and carrying a worm 54 engaging a worm wheel 55 on the shaft 56 which carries the conveyer supporting roller 17, motion being transmitted from a pulley 57 on this shaft through a belt 58 to another pulley 59 on the shaft 60 of the cooling conveyer roller 46. It will be noted that the idler rollers 19, Which are located at the ends of the oven substantially close the ends so, as to prevent loss of heat. Preferably also the top is brought down relatively close to the conveyer, leaving only space suflicient for the feeding in and discharge of the sheets. By reason of these facts, and the peaked construction of the oven, the heat is so confined and controlled that there is practically no waste. At the start, enough heat is supplied to thoroughly heat the heat retaining body, and when this point is reached the heat can be cut down to a condition where the desired heat will be maintained. The use of this heat retaining body in connection with the other features described. therefore,

serves to conserve'the heat and secure efficient operation with a relatively small fuel consumption.

, In cooling the sheets by means of the cooling conveyer, one man, in the case of manual feeding, is enabled to attend to the entire machine, since the finished sheets are re,-

turned back to a point closely adjacent the feeding-in station, and within convenient reach of the operator. The use of this cooling conveyer furthermore increases the capacity of the machine, since the machine can .be worked at a higher rate of speed as there is no delay in waiting for the treated sheets to cool and dry.

What I claim is:

1. In apparatus for producing raised printing, an oven, a conveyer traveling through said oven, a sand pan beneath the conveyer having partitions dividing said pan into a plurality of sand trays and a heater beneath said sand pan.

2. In apparatus for producing raised printing, an oven, a conveyer traveling throu h said oven a sand an arran ed on D D an upward incline beneath said conveyer and provided with upstanding partitions diVid- 4. In apparatus for producing raisedprinting, an .oven, a conveyer traveling through said oven, a sand pan in said oven having upturned edges spaced apart from "the walls of the oven and partitions dividing said pan into a plurality of sand trays, and a heater below said sand pan.

5. In apparatus for producing raised printing, an oven, a conveyer traveling through said oven and adapted to carry a freshly inked and powdered sheet in an upward and then downward direction, a heat retaining body beneath sald conveyer 1nclined upwardly from its opposite ends into .the apex of the conveyer and forming a heat pocket beneath said apex of said conveyer and a source of heat beneath said heat retaining body.

6. In apparatus for producing raised printing, an oven, a conveyer traveling through said oven inclined upwardly from a lower to a higher elevation and from the higher elevation to a lower elevation, a heat retaining body beneath the conveyer extending up into the apex of said conveyer and substantially conforming to the inclination of said conveyer, and a heater beneath said heat retaining body substantially conforming to the inclination of said body.

7. In apparatus for producing raised printing, an oven of substantially triangular shape, highest at the center and lower at the ends thereof, a conveyer traveling through 1 said oven extendlng up into the apex of said neath the conveyer extended up toward the apex of the oven and substantially conforming to the inclination of the conveyer, and.

thereby forming a heat pocket in the apex of the oven beneath the conveyer, and a heater beneath said heat retaining body.

. 8. In apparatus for producing raised printing, 'an oven, a sheet conveyer in said oven arranged to discharge heated sheets at one end of the oven, and a cooling conveyer beneath the oven, separated by a .cooling air space from said oven and having its receiving en'd beneath and adjacent the discharge end of the conveyer in the oven and receiving the printed sheets directly from said oven conveyer. a

9. In an oven construction, a wall consisting of an initially flat strip of sheet metal having oppositely disposed notches cut in the edges thereof, the metal of the sheet between opposite notches therein being bent upward transversely of the sheet into upprovide free access of heat from the heater to thesheets on the conveyer without permitting said sheets to fall down through the inclined conveyerf 11. In apparatus for producing raised printing, an oven, a conveyer traveling through said oven and adapted to carry a freshly inked and powdered sheet in an upward and then downward direction, a heat retainin body beneath said conveyer and substantially conforming in shape to the path of movement of said conveyer, a source of heat beneath said heat retaining body, and a cooling conveyer beneath the oven having its receiving end disposed adjacent the discharge end of the heatin conveyer to receive the heated sheets there rom.

12. In apparatus for producing raised printing, an oven, a conveyer traveling through said oven and adapted to carry a freshly inked and powdered sheet, a heat retaining body beneath said conveyer, a Source of heat beneath said heat retaining body, a cooling'conveyer beneath the oven having its receiving end disposed beneath and adjacent the discharge end of the heating conveyer to receive the heated sheets therefrom, and an inclined chute guiding the sheets from the oven conveyer onto the cooling conveyer printed side up.

13. In apparatus for producing raised printing, an oven having spaced apart sides, and a top, a conveyer traveling through said oven, a heater beneath said conveyer and a sand pan interposed between said heater and the conveyer protectin articles on sald conveyer from the direct e ect of the heater and providing passages for the flow of heat from said heater to said conveyer.

SAMUEL LIPSIUS. 

